njaloha

If you want all inclusive book a suite that is Star Class. You will get all the speciality restaurants, the ultimate drink package, internet, and anything else the genie can do for you. You might check out the perkes that come with the Sea and Sky Class. They might have some of the perkes you are looking for also.

Thanks. However, the Star Class Suite experience is WAY out of my budget. Grand Suite is close but still pricey when I add the gratuities and bvg packages - for comparison to Sky Suite on Celebrity where grats, bvg pkg, internet and OBC ($300) are included.

11-night Anthem 1/27/20 Grand Suite $6900 plus 2 bvg pkgs at $55/p/d = $1200 plus tips and suddenly that fare jumps to $8500.

Celebrity Reflection out of Ft Lauderdale - 10 nights same ports $6400 4 perks included - $300 OBC, grats, internet, premium beverage pkg (reg priced at $65/p/d) for a total of $6400. Assume I have no costs to fly, using points.

So even if you reduce the cost of the Anthem cruise by one day since it's 11-nights and REflection is 10, the total would still be $1300 more than the Reflection.

All NRD fares, and the 2020 fare on the Anthem Grand Suite is about $2500 less than the fare for 2019, so I thought I'd investigate and see what's what. Compare.

AND I think I'm just going to book a 7-night on Celebrity Equinox Western Caribbean ($5500) which would be the ports I really want. Will just have to suck it up and fly. Ugh. ;p

$31 +18% for 15 coffees.

 

You can bring a case of water with you.

Oh Goodness! That would cover DH for ...... calculating ....... 5 days. ;p;p;p

The Concierge Lounge has its "free cocktails" happy hours for three and a half hours every night. (although I read somewhere recently that they have just increased this - on Anthem only - to four hours). Thanks for this info!. Compare that to Celebrity where the time is two hours per night plus no happy hours at all on two of the nights of your cruise. I'm not concerned with this comparison because as a suite cruiser on Celebrity I have access to Michaels Club all day, Premium Beverage Pkg included so booze booze booze all day long wherever on the ship I want to get it, at a bar, in the buffet, at Luminae, in Michael's Club as many as we want. weeeeeee! ugh. Coffee at Cafe Al Bacio, Bottled Evian anywhere, pool drinks at the pool.

 

The list is limited, as it is on Celebrity, although the lists are not the same on the two cruise lines. No limited list in Michaels or in suites restaurant or in bars. Remember I'm in a suite on Celebrity.

You can carry out your drinks (for instance, to take a drink to dinner with you) on the Anthem, which I was never permitted to do on Celebrity. We carried out of Michael's all the time.

If you are really going to book a cruise on the Anthem, you may find that the deluxe beverage package goes on sale in your Cruise Planner. Good to know

 

If you want to compare prices, you need to add the price of the deluxe beverage package to the fare you are looking at for the Grand Suite on Anthem for the actual cruise you are pricing, then look at the price for whatever suite you would book on a Celebrity cruise, and see how that comes out, rather than being shocked by separate prices. And my spreadsheet is being updated as soon as I'm done posting this!!! :) It just may be that I book Celebrity and have to fly to Florida. Looking for options so I don't have to fly.

See comments in blue above, thanks.

^ you can get a coffee card for that.

And how much is that please?

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Not exactly sure what you mean, but these beverages are included with your basic cruise fare, no packages needed: tap water, coffee, hot tea, iced tea, lemonade, milk, juices at breakfast.

Bottled water. Premium coffee.

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Hi,

DH and I are Celebrity Suite cruisers who are interested in potentially booking an Anthem cruise. All you experienced RCCL and Anthem Grand Suite cruisers, please I need your help. We're used to the all-inclusive suite experience on X.

I just called RCCL and received info on cost of beverage packages. Holy cow!!!! $600 bucks for an 11-night cruise for a booze/beverage pkg? That's insane.

Refreshment Package is $286 for the 11-night, but with this pkg all our booze would be available in Diamond Lounge or Concierge Club, right? Now at meals, we can order a drink but we'd have to pay ala carte for it if we are on the Refreshment pkg?

Bottom line, Do we really need a package if we're Diamond and in a Grand Suite? I'm considering just the refreshment pkg so we have water, soda, juice, coffee, tea.

If this has been hashed to death in other threads, my apologies. I've tried searching other threads and have had no luck finding info.

thanks

:D

SG65CB wrote: It does help fix one problem. There are a limited number of GS cabins on a ship and they sell out early. There were people who would book a GS on several different cruises far in advance and figure out later which one they actually want. Usually they would do this through NextCruise so they would pay very little deposit.

Now with mandatory NRD for GS that won't be happening and it will be easier to book a GS if you want one.

"unless GS or higher." This is the key. But, while Celebrity has a shorter window on the NRD (less than 12 months in my research), RCCL doesn't. I was trying to book a GS for next February but can't even touch the total fare. HOWEVER! I just checked 2020......Hmmmm, food for thought. Considerably cheaper NRD fare.

A long expected result of "ship jumpers" and "cabin jumpers" who make reservations years out with no intention of keeping the booked cruise. It costs the companies to do that. Maybe more importantly, it costs fellow passengers the ability to select from available cabins. Good to see the added cost for those who do this.

Future cruises and X customer svc reps encourage this. Don't cancel. Rebook later. You have until just before final payment is due, they told me.

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Within the last week or so, the cruises I've been researching for Jan-Mar 2019 have only RISK FREE REFUNDABLE DEPOSITS. If I leave a 'booking', a gold or white exit screen pops up warning me that I haven't completed my booking and asking if I'm sure I want to leave. A box in this pop up says "RISK FREE REFUNDABLE DEPOSITS, don't let this ship sail without you."

Summer 2019 cruises, specifically Bermuda, still have the two choices between refundable and non-refundable deposit fares. It seems as if it's a 12 month window; if you book within the 12-month window, you'll have the risk free refundable deposit. Otherwise, you'll have to pick one or the other. At least that's what it looks like with all the research I've been doing lately.

On the other side of the fence in RCCL land, one can't book a Grand Suite unless you want to pay the non-refundable deposit fare. And that includes cruises this summer as well as January/February 2019, etc.

Just seems odd to me that sister cruise lines have completely different practices on when the refundable is the only fare - Celebrity - 12 month window, RCCL - never.

When I watched the video, she had the 'Dr's. Letter' in her hand and she held it up and said something to the effect "My Dr. said it was OK" (to travel/go on cruise??).

 

 

 

They were escorted out of the building because her dad and then her extended family became belligerent and caused a scene. This was not visible in the video, but has been stated on other threads on CC.

 

 

 

And again, in no way or at no time, were they 'threatened' by the police with guns. The guns were strapped onto the policemen's bodies, but all were pointed away from people and up toward the ceiling.

Agreed

I saw the letter and read other articles after my post. Did that letter look fishy or is it just me?. Didn't look verry official tbh

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See that is even more interesting that a third party site will highlight certain T&Cs but if you are booking on the Cruise Line website it is really hard to find and if anywhere T&Cs should be clear as day is on the company website.

When I did a mock booking on the celebrity website the T&Cs showed up on the payment page and included this 14. Passenger warrants that he and those traveling with him are fit for travel and that such travel will not endanger themselves or others. Carrier reserves the right to terminate a Passenger's cruise or RCT Land Tour or both at any time, at the risk and expense of the Passenger disembarked, when in the opinion of Carrier, Passenger is believed to be a danger to himself or a disturbance or danger to others.

Nothing about being pregnant at all.

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That is interesting, I have been through the websites I used to see if things look different but I don't seem to be getting the guest options you are getting:rolleyes: how far into the booking is it? Though the fact you said you never noticed it before still suggests it is not designed to be front of mine;)

It was on a third party website I use that I can't mention because of Cruise Critic restrictions. I was looking at a Celebrity cruise and the Guest Options page was presented by the cruise travel website, not Celebrity but it is Celebrity's rule that I posted. Does that make sense? :confused:

It also had age restrictions.

While I can't comment specifically about this woman's case as someone who was researching their first cruise I don't feel that cruise companies put T&Cs front of mind on their websites:confused: I found it really convoluted to find the T&Cs page. It usually involved clicking through multiple pages and an almost Where's Wally like seeking for tiny obscure links hidden in a bunch of other hyperlinks.

 

Being a seasoned traveller I have learnt to seek out T&Cs but I can understand how people with little travel experience who are cruising for the first time might not think to check this stuff:rolleyes:. While it is easy to say it is the responsibility of the potential cruiser to seek T&Cs I do think cruise lines could do a bit more to make it accessible and front of mind. Really all it would take is one clear hyperlink on the itinerary page:D

I'm browsing some cruises doing mock bookings to see cabin availability on a big cruise travel site and on the "GUEST OPTIONS" page, there's an 'i' in a blue circle that says PREGNANCY RESTRICTIONS. This is what it says, "

Pregnancy Restrictions

Pregnancy Restrictions: Celebrity Cruises cannot accept guests who will have entered their 24th week of pregnancy by the beginning of, or at any time during the cruise or cruisetour. A physician's 'Fit to Travel' note is required prior to sailing, stating how far along (in weeks). your pregnancy will be at the beginning of the cruise and confirming that you are in good health and not experiencing a high-risk pregnancy.

I've never noticed it before. But there it is.

And keep in mind that the Summit is going in for the celebrity revolution makeover February 2019. That might make cruising Summit more compelling.

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With the ship sailing in minutes, I would say that cabin was empty. In other words the company lost money as is.

Undoubtedly more than one cabin considering the large group unless it was a family cabin that could accommodate 4 adults and what looked like 2 or 3 teenage kids plus the 2 babies.

I'm not saying Disney should have refunded the pax their fare. :cool: I'm saying there are multiple stories being reported as to whether they received a refund or not. If Disney didn't refund their money, obvi Disney still has Disney's money so I don't see how the company lost money except in shore ex and on board spending. I wonder tho if there was a gty booking that might have filled those cabins! :D:D:o :o

This is good info, especially for young people that book their cruises 12-18 months in advance. Anything can happen during that time including getting pregnant. If your cruise line has a pregnancy cut off time frame, know what it is and do some calculations before final payment or before you actually get on the plane or drive across country.

True True. Good point.

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That's fine I won't slam the messenger :).

 

 

 

I looked at her Vlog and her heavily edited youtube. I also read Fox news, Huff Post and various other news sites and they mentioned she had brought a doctor's note saying they felt she was fit to travel. Unfortunately for her it seems that her doctor's note doesn't override Disney's conditions of contract.

 

 

 

I am not sure why in such a large group some couldn't have taken the children and even herself to somewhere cooler while just one or two people waited for the luggage? That's why I find it great to be able to have games on my phone.....makes it easier if you get caught waiting in doctor's offices, airports etc.

 

 

 

I understand why the luggage could have taken awhile to find and get back to them. Think how long it takes to get your luggage to your room with thousands of passengers on a ship like that.

 

 

 

This is just my opinion.

Agreed heavily edited. To get her story straight perhaps or to make it more palitable.

Maybe they didn't grasp how long it would take to get their luggage back...lesson learned. Rookie cruiser mistakes.

This is like that story about the elderly couple in California who accidentally left their passports in their checked bags, except they never got their luggage until the ship came back.

I find it amazing in this recent climate of passenger vs cruise line/airline debacles, that she never expected this to go global.

And didn't I read that the contract even says Drs note not accepted?

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And I read that Disney denied having offered her a refund.....

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In her vlog post, she claimed she didn't make the reservation. Someone else did but she didn't say who... Maybe her parents. She also said she wasn't angry about not being allowed onboard but how she and her family were treated..... Escorted out by Miami Dade officers wielding AK15s and being sniffed by K9 unit dogs even though they had just gone through security and weren't a threat. Then instead of being allowed to wait in air conditioning the 2 hours for their luggage to be retrieved from the ship, they had to wait out in the Miami heat with no offer of beverage with 2 little babies. She never expected this to go global and specifically explains why she's mad in her post. She never mentioned the Drs note in her vlog. Hmmmmmm don't know what that's about.

Don't slam the messenger, this is her perspective from her vlog post

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Sometimes it’s best to go with naturally gluten free foods rather than relying on those that claim their GF. It’s definitely not easy! My poor kiddo was 10 when diagnosed. No pizza parties, no birthday cupcakes at school. It was a very difficult adjustment.

 

 

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Not easy for sure and can be scary. Less out of the box the better

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The biggest problem for Celiacs is cross contamination from items that are deemed gluten free. The testers only test one small section of the food. We’ve looked at them, and they run over $200 to purchase the machine and capsules are roughly $5 per test. IMO, that’s a ridiculous price when there’s no guarantee that there’s no cross contamination.

 

 

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She sent the entree back because her device sensed gluten. The dessert was ok.

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I wouldn’t trust those for Celiac patients. Those who elect to be GF okay, but Celiac is definitely not something to mess with. (Mother of a Celiac)

 

 

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The woman used it to verify that what the kitchen provided as gluten free was actually gluten free because she had celiac and didn't want to take a chance.

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Have you seen the gluten testers?. We sat next to a woman who had one, just a bit of food in the tester and in a few seconds your answer smiley or frown

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http://www.royalcaribbean.com/contentWithHero.do?pagename=enhanced_program_for_suite_guests

Thank you.

Looked all over the website for this. I'm sure it was somewhere obvious.

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Hi

New to Royal and would like to know about the " and more" listed in the grand suite description.

I can't find it anymore about it

Thanks

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